Mohsen Amini: 'All of our traditions have a common ground'

Ímar blend nations and traditions to create a unique folk sound

Ímar, the latest folk supergroup to emerge from the British Isles' scene, features players from a variety of nations and traditions, with members from Scotland, Ireland, England and the Isle of Man all represented, and sometime members of half a dozen groups including Manran, RURA and Talisk among their number. In folk circles, their rise is on its way to becoming meteoric.

'We launched in 2016 and not long after that arrived at a career highlight when our first billed gig was opening Cambridge Folk Festival,' says Glasgow-raised concertina player Mohsen Amini. 'Then we launched our album (Afterlight) at Celtic Connections, and that took us by surprise when it earned five-star reviews. Since then we've been touring, and that's helped us further develop. We're just really enjoying the chance to play our music and take it around the world.' It's a modest ambition for a five-piece group who met through the traditional music network and Fleadh organiser Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, and who have amassed a significant haul of trad music trophies between them.

The band – Amini, Adam Brown (bodhran), Ryan Murphy (pipes, whistle), Tomas Callister (fiddle) and Adam Rhodes (bouzouki) – have won nine Irish and eight British titles between them, with Amini alone claiming a BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award with Talisk, the Danny Kyle Open Stage Award from Celtic Connections and a BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalist place in 2016. 'All of our traditions have a common ground,' he says. 'From the first rehearsal we all blended together really well, and our sound has continued to mature and become a distinctive Ímar voice.'